Dec. 5, 2009

Box Score

Senior F Jen Valente (Prospect, CT) registered 14 points and six rebounds as UMass Lowell defeated Saint Anselm, 53-34, Saturday afternoon in a Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball tilt at the Costello Athletic Center.

The victory was the River Hawks fifth in their last six games as they improved to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the NE-10 entering Tuesday's home clash against No. 2 Franklin Pierce (5:30).

Saint Anselm slipped to 1-6 overall and 0-5 in the Conference and hosts Saint Michael's Tuesday at 5:30.

Valente meshed 4 of 7 shots from the field and 6 of 7 free throws while sophomore Sha'nay Bushner (Akron, OH) registered 10 points (4-6 field goals) and five rebounds and freshman G Bianca Simmons (Middletown, CT) 10 points and four rebounds.

Sophomore F Megan Howard (St. Paul, MN) led the Hawks with 16 points and 13 rebounds as she converted 7 of 11 field goal attempts and both free throws.

UMass Lowell forced Saint Anselm to commit 20 turnovers (opposed to 11 by the River Hawks) which enabled it to outscore the Hawks 18-4 off miscues.

The River Hawks also enjoyed a 30-18 edge in the paint, 14-4 on the fast break and 11-3 at the free throw line.

UMass Lowell led 16-10 with 8:53 left in the half and ended the half with an 11-3 run - led by four points by Simmons - to take a 27-13 cushion into the break.

The River Hawks opened the second frame with a 10-6 spurt, led by a pair of layups by Valente, to extend its lead to 37-19 with 16:06 remaining, and never looked back.